A Christmas tree has been standing bare outside the town’s train station for weeks – because staff couldn’t decorate it due to health and safety rules.
The 25 foot high tree, which is in the station’s car park, has remained untouched by Arriva staff because they are not allowed to climb up and place the lights on themselves.
Staff have to buy the lights and employ an electrician to decorate the tree and also borrow a cherry picker from Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council.
But borough council officers said they cannot send out the machinery until they receive the correct paper work which they informed the train company of a month ago – and they are still waiting for the order to come through.
Brian Youle, maintenance officer from SABC, said: “Arriva Trains supply the lights and the electrician and then they send an order and we send a lorry to help them.
“It is their responsibility, they have to send an order and we are waiting for it. I did speak to them a month ago and asked for an order and I told them the procedure. If they have the lights we can do it for them.”
Maggie Abbett, a spokesperson for Arriva, said they didn’t want to cause upset between the two bodies, but believed the problem was due to an administrative mix-up.
She said: “We have the lights, but the local authority have to put them up for health and safety reasons. We have got an order number and we don’t know what the hold-up is. We have always had a Christmas tree and it usually has lights on it. We are not trying to pass the buck, we are all keen to get the lights up.
“It is for health and safety reasons, there are restrictions on how high members of staff can go and that is set by industry regulations.
“We are talking to the borough and the two of us are trying to sort this out.”
Russell Mulford, president of Shropshire Railway Society, said: “The last thing we want at Christmas is for red tape to get in the way of what is traditionally a well-lit display outside the station.”